5 Ways to Get Your Family Active

These 5 ways to get your family active will help you bond as a family and have more fun too!

As both kids and adults spend more time on electronic devices, it can feel like all anyone ever does is sit around on staring at screens. Since screen time has become such an ingrained part of our society, it can be hard to convince kids and adults alike to put these devices down and get out and be active. Active lifestyles are important for families because they promote healthy bodies and healthy relationships! Here are some ways to get your family active!

5 Ways to Get Your Family Active

Encourage that screen time is alternated with active time – This is easier to do in the summer, but encourage your kids to spend just as much time being active as they spend on their electronics. You use timers to remind them. For every hour of outdoor play time, they can have some screen time. This may be hard to do at first, but most kids enjoy creative play and may soon find themselves skipping their screen time periodically.

Do active outdoor activities as a family – One way to get your family active is to plan active weekend outings such as hiking, nature walks, geocaching, or swimming. When you are having fun, staying active is easy! You don’t have to do something active every weekend, but try to have a good balance of these activities in your life.

Yard work and housework count – Did you know that most housework or yard work actually gets your heart rate up almost as much as jogging? Don’t discount the power of raking the yard or organizing the garage. Get your kids involved in these household chores to help keep them active. Even small children can help with things like dusting or wiping tables.

Invite others to join you – You know what they say about the more the merrier? It definitely applies to getting active! Get together with neighborhood families and do relay races, jogs, hikes or even neighborhood cleanup to make staying active a collaborative effort.

Use active things to do as rewards instead of items or food – We all like to reward our kids with things they love when they work hard to achieve a goal. Instead of rewarding them with more electronics or junk food, reward them with fun, active outings. These could include a trip to the fair or carnival (lots of walking!) or a day spent swimming at the water park.